daveb

The hardest jump (after the first) I've ever made was jump 11, after not jumping for four weeks. On the drive to the DZ, I almost talked myself out of jumping anymore -- I'd already proved to myself that I could do it, repeatedly. I am so glad I didn't give in to fear. I've been able to do some things I'd never dreamed of, the joy and rewards of the journey have been incredible, and it's only just begun. I had door fear on one level or another through my first 100 or so jumps. I'm still afraid of heights, and do not like pulling above 5k -- looking down between my feet and realizing the distance involved is frightful. Sure, it's irrational, but tell that to my endocrine system. I still get a bit nervous on the first jump after not jumping for several weeks, not as much as I used to, but that little bit is still there. Fear is a healthy part of the sport. Acknowledge it, understand it, dominate it, but ignore it at your peril.

Kinda like skydiveaggieland.com? (Only works on windows, serves up shtml pages as content-type: octet-stream -- unix systems pretty much disregard file extensions).

You can learn an amazing amount by watching and reviewing and studying and watching and reviewing and studying and watching..... even if it is the 2003 dive pool, even if your continuity plan is different, even if you don't exit like they do, even if you don't know what I mean by continuity plan or dive pool. I still use the mind maps disc (copied it onto my hard disc to speed things along), perhaps a bit less frequently that I've done in the past, but the tool is still valuable. The ability to pause, rewind and frame-by-frame of each exit and block move on the hill and on the flat is tremendously helpful. The text descriptions and the "VR" stuff are okay, and might help some with visualization - I got/get alot more from the video. The value derived from the disc is many multiples of times its cost. -- Dave

Not so much a cult mentality as a family thing. I can say bad things about my brother, but if you say exactly the same thing, well, them's fightin' words. In this case, something rubbed the anonymous musicman the wrong way. What, we have no idea, because only generalities that cast derision on the entire operation was written. The combination of unsubstantiated, general claims on a well-known and well-liked business by an unknown, new poster is certain to invite rubuttal. Momma always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything. There's more than a kernal of truth to that. Or maybe Kbone has returned, looking to stir up more sh**.... -- Dave

What a change from your posting two days ago! I know the staff at Skydive Dallas, and your claim is surprising, to say the least. Take any complaints to the manager Joe Rekart, or the DZO if you feel you must. The entire organization is first class (and I am not alone in this opinion), and I have trouble accepting things were exactly as you represent. But I wasn't there -- talk to Joe. Call him today and complain. You will be taken seriously and the matter handled professionally. Welcome to skydiving. I have driven 500 miles round-trip to sit for three days because of poor weather many, many times. I have also made 45 jumps in three days there. It's the nature of the sport (bad pun, I know). You can get a refund if it was that bad.

Excellent advice, Greuni, as should be expected. ;-) There's alot of focus on tail slot here, but this is a four-way exit, requiring all 4 to work together. Your point flyer doing tail duty needs to anchor the piece and pull down hard on exit -- try to tip the piece into a good presentation. The OC should exit out in a dive, NOT jump up or out too far. IC needs to try to get up and bring the leg grip with. Tail is thereby helped in proper presentation: the sidebody grips on OC should be downhill, and with point bringing your leg up, you just have to work with them and do as DVG suggests. If the other guys come off flat, you're hosed, and there's not alot you can do. Work on timing, also. If tail leaves ahead of OC, it will be difficult to present well. I flew this exit as point, and felt I had alot of control over presentation of the piece. If point gets down quickly and pulls the formation, it will help overcome a weaker exit by the rest. But point has to really work to climb the hill upon the break. That said, as point, I preferred the 'Airspeed exit', with point inside the plane. Doing the block was a cinch. But both exits work well, as evidenced by the split decisions of the top teams. -- Dave

Well, after 5 hours in the wind over the preceding two days, I got into that zone were I was too tired and sore to notice I was sore and tired. ;-) I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Actually, I felt pretty good, although I found it mentally very taxing. I should apologize to my various teammates for the brainlocks. But everyone was so UP and friendly, it was impossible to not enjoy the event. There is alot of really good talent around Perris. I'm jealous of y'all for having such a cool toy in your backyard.

Of course you can!

Falling straight down is alot more difficult than it sounds. Without a good reference, it's hard to tell who is moving. I assume your partner also relatively inexperienced? Your best option is to jump two ways with a more experienced jumper who can 'lay base' for you, that is, hold a heading and fall straight down so you can reference a static target. To this, add small variations like 90 degree turns in both directions, while maintaining fall rate, proximity and eye-contact(*) with the experienced jumper. When each of you can consistantly do this one-on-one with the experienced jumper, treat yourselves to a three way. Add some basic turns: 90, 180 and 360 to the mix. When you're consistant here, try two-ways again with each other, but this time have one of you stay static -- fall straight down while the other does 90s and 180s. Alternate. Allow yourself some time to learn these basics and realize that while is sounds simple and easy, it's surprisingly difficult to do well, especially with turns. A little investment up front will pay huge dividends very quickly. (*) Eye contact: this isn't just looking towards the other person, but literally a staring contest. It is not enough to "know" where the other jumper is; communication in 4way is primarily through the eyes. Make it a point to smile at each other, independent of how well the jump is going -- this instills so much confidence and 'feel-good' in one another, but you only know if you're looking directly at each other's faces and eyes. -- Dave

The tunnel league is massive fun! Christy invited me to play with y'all, and I can't thank her enough. What a mind warp! I loved the intensity of the event and the fun-loving nature of all the competitors. Every round was high-fives and smiles and not nearly enough time! And "dizzy-cats", my new favorite block. If anyone reading this is considering it, or has the flexibility in schedule, you owe it to yourself to do this! Guess I've missed it. Even did a quick search on "tunnel league perris" and found only this thread for this year? "Frikken Insanity" - aptly named company. Christy, you rock girl! The format is ideal for friendly competition. Perris is lucky to have you. -- Dave

While I believe both these teams will put up some impressive scores, I disagree they will push everyone to a higher level. The highest level teams push themselves harder than any outside force in a bid to better themselves. This is not saying they don't look at the competition, they will, but the push comes from within. And I know of at least a couple of other open class teams that are not training differently due to a stronger open class (true, these team will not be close to the medal race, but that doesn't mean they're slacking off, nor being pushed to get better due the strength of the field). At the highest levels, it is about winning. Period. What does it take to win? Do that. Airspeed has (IMHO) a better team dynamic than any other, but during their most recent tryouts, they passed over good friends for relative strangers. They did NOT choose "close friends for the love of the team". Of the teams I've been a member, I didn't start out as friends with my teammates - I didn't even know them in most cases - but we became friends through the process. And I wouldn't say that the deck is exactly stacked against Airspeed, either. Both Andy and Brian are superb additions to an already stellar squad. I wouldn't count out John Hoover and crew either: a 20 in mid February is not without merit. I do agree this will be a very interesting competition year; all the more so since it's a short training year.

19 was most in one day (April 2003), but 18 of those were from ~6400 feet doing exit practice. And it was an easy day because we never broke rhythm and never had to rush. We finished the day with a full altitude jump to celebrate -- none of us had ever made that many jumps beforehand, and they were amazingly productive, so much so we rewarded ourselves with a full altitude "fun" jump (aren't they all fun?) after training. My teams for the past three years regularly make 11-12 jumps a day (31% of days with 8 or more jumps). That's a good compromise between quality and fatigue; more than that, and the jumps and/or debriefs start deteriorating. The most freefall time logged in a single day is 00:17:34 for 15 jumps. The 19 jump day clocked in at a relatively meager 00:10:15. It would be interesting to see if the wingsuit crowd has exceeded 20 minutes of freefall in one day. Mr. Stokes has my respect for his records. Beyond the sheer magnitude of the numbers, it boggles the mind to consider the physical and mental effort required, especially in the wee hours. I have no great desire to surpass 20 jumps a day -- quality over quantity please. -- Dave BTW, awk is a wonderful tool. /* You are not expected to understand this. */

It never ends. Literally. I'd suggest it's a bit like the matryoshka (those Russian nesting dolls); you can appreciate the work and stop there, or you can dig a little deeper and find a whole new level of appreciation/knowledge. I am a bookworm. I read incessantly. I read the instruction manuals that come with extension cords. But I have found no worthy material on body styles for flying - definitely not any cool "body tweaks". The best teacher is experience, bar none. I'll go so far as to say no one can appreciate the more subtle differences, until they have a foundation of experience to build upon and have tried it themselves. Remember how, before your first skydive, the instructor told you about the arch, drew diagrams, put you on your belly and made you arch, but you could not appreciate it until you made a few jumps, feeling how it feels in different degrees of arch. There are good books on skydiving but none about body flight per se. There are a couple of standouts about the mental aspects of the sport, perhaps more relevant to competitors, but applicable to all skill levels and disciplines as well. My two favorites: 1. The New Toughness Training for Sports (not skydiving, but highly relevant and there is none better) 2. Mental Training for Skydiving and Life My best advice is to retain the mindset of a student always, experiment with slight differences until you find what works well for you, and get as much coaching as you can (I am still getting actively coached and learning an amazing, humbling amount).

I know of 2 guys. One is a 16 year old guy who has done 2 Airspeed camps. Not to boast... well, okay, I am boasting: My 13yo son has done 2 Airspeed camps, one at 10yo and once at 12yo. With the evening time, that gives him 5 hours in the wind. The attached picture is Tim carving backwards around Craig. Not shown is the proud father beaming in the staging area. -- Tim's Dad

You meant OLED, didn't you? ;-) OLED is just coming to market, but translucent thin-film displays suitable for use in a visor are not here just yet. The hud concept is pretty cool though. I wouldn't use one because it would be a distraction during training/competition, but the gadget freak within wants one anyway.

(emphasis added) The tunnel is like a magnifying glass for little mistakes. The walls are a great reminder that falling straight down is more active than passive, and the constricting feeling of the chamber size versus the big blue, plus the rougher airflow within the chamber contributes to a more difficult flying experience. You gave your ego no assistance by putting on an unfamiliar suit with first time booties. Booties change the equation quite dramatically, amplifying lower leg input. Most belly manuveurs are subtlely to dramatically different with booties. And with the walls that close by, any deviation from a pure vertical "fall" will be exposed. Until you get used to them, booties will almost certainly push you forward unexpectedly. A good skills camp, like the Airspeed camps (which I'm partial to) will do wonders for your confidence and skills within the tunnel and in the air. The benefits of the camps are that you get a solid briefing before, instruction during, debrief after, multiple days to let the subject sink in, and lots of time to practice. The one hour of wind time in a three day Airspeed camp is completely different from booking an hour on your own. So when you look at the Airspeed campers doing some stuff, don't be too surprised if you have some trouble copying it on your own. But most of them have trouble on their first couple of sessions as well. Welcome to the club!

Once in more than 2300, at jump 1596: spinning mal on Stiletto 120. Have saved several rides by working the problem: two single unstowed toggles (not fun) and a few spinning, diving openings that I just gained control of at decision altitude. Also had a couple on a previous container where I was reaching for my handles due to PC hesitation. I used to open below 2000, not anymore. Altitude is your friend.

I have AOL and I can't find a view on it anywhere. It seems to be only on the forum area. That is because the dropzone css files intermix points and pixels, and IE does not resize fonts specified in pixels but does for points. If the browser defaults to 'largest', then you get huge fonts on the forums and "reasonable" on the front page. What version of AOL are you stuck with? I find it difficult to [believe] AOL would eliminate a useability/accessability control from their hack of a browser. The text/font size controls almost *have* to be settable somewhere. Edited to add: I just downloaded AOL 9.0. What a mistake! I'm now in the process of cleaning up that mess. I saw exactly the same problem, tried changing the font sizes in a couple of different ways, then ran out of patience. Dude, switch browsers to something reasonable. Sorry that doesn't help you too much.

It being the forum? I thought Avion was suggesting a profile field? This does not (yet?) exist. The converse is also true. Being able to walk (walls/floor) in the tunnel is a useful skill in the tunnel, but does not translate well to the air. There are many things people have done that they want recognition for or validation from. Should each of these exist in their profile as a separate field? What is the litmus test for inclusion? Where is the line drawn? The existing jump profile does not have a field for freefall time, only jump numbers, but certainly someone who does only hop-n-pops is less "qualified" to offer freefall advice than another with equivalent jump numbers from full altitude; there is currently no distinction. Further, I presently have accrued in the neighborhood of fifty hours "in the wind", but you would be better off asking how to back-fly from another with far less tunnel time. Perhaps the better validation is to let someone's posting history - quality of information, not volume - establish their "credentials". There are some on these fora with more jumps than myself whom I would not seek for advice, and many people with far fewer from whom I would crave it. As in most fora (not just dropzone.com), authenticity is earned via a developed reputation, not the mention of a name or number. But I do like the idea of a tunnel specific forum. It will be interesting to see the subject matter develop, especially as more tunnels are opened.

On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. I had a bang-path address one hop from ihnp4 (used to be a status symbol of some sort for some reason), which shows that I've been "online" at least as long as 17 years, and actually for some time before that. While I cannot contradict your personal experiences, I have not found your view ["you are as you post"] prevalent. The problem with online conversations in general (as there are always special exceptions, and dropzone.com is actually one of them) is that of anonymity, and poor communication. The written word is a poor substitute for actual conversation, and misses some of the most important non-vocal cues we use to relate. Further, since the poster in many cases is anonymous, the fear of rejection or reprisal is reduced, and inhibitions are lowered. And unlike face-to-face conversations, there is plenty of time to think about a response, and even retract and rephrase a thought to convey an entirely different message. Combined, this allows one to represent a different persona than Real Life for any number of reasons (see links below). There is likely some truth to the contention you cannot pretend to be something alien to yourself. Even actors dig within themselves to find some parcel of common ground with their character. But. The connection is tenuous at best. Are the people that play fragging games and post online about wholesale slaughter really repressed homicidal maniacs, deep down? Are all those that pretend to be intellectual reflecting reality? It is much easier to pretend something that you are not when the only evidence is what you post anonymously to rec.sex.skydiving. The above is my take. Here are a few links to studies done by academics and professionals with a serious interest in the online phenomena of personality expression. Personality and Internet Usage Internet as Research Context, scroll to "Internet as Way of Being" Personality Addication Traits

My son, who has yet to exit an aircraft in flight, has been to two wind tunnel camps. He has a very good understanding of the basics of freefall: stability, directional control, body awareness, and fall rate. It's not a waste on him; once he starts skydiving, I expect he'll breeze through AFF and the student program, and only need to work on altitude awareness and canopy flight skills. That will make it much easier for him to focus on the canopy control portions of the class since he will not have to put much emphasis on the freefall portions. I've watched people with 4 jumps and having difficulty in AFF learn in the tunnel and subsequently ace the remainder of the student program. Ditto those just off student status having trouble flying with others. The tunnel is not just about center point turns, although this is a valuable skill. A big part of skydiving is relative work, be it vertical or flat. I very much disagree that learning and practicing freefall skills in the tunnel should be postponed. A tunnelcamp with a qualified coach is a good idea no matter how many jumps you have. Nor should canopy control be neglected. Get good coaching -- not just a friends' advice -- on the fundamental skills and learn to save your life in a variety of less-than-ideal situations. This is also a good idea no matter how many jumps you have. Ignore canopy flight lessons at your own peril. ... which could happen if you become unstable at pull time and become entangled, or you don't get sufficient separation from another and collide, or lose altitude awareness because you're so focused upon a move or attempting to become stable in the first place, or .... Belly-to-earth control skills are every bit as vital as canopy control skills - you use both on each and every jump you make.

100% agreement. Any exit worth doing is worth a mock-up, even if you're on a team and have done the exit tens or hundreds of times. Moreover, it is good practice to continue to the second point to build in anticipation of the break. It is also reasonable to mock-up the exit sans gear, especially if the exit is unfamiliar and will take more time. A script that works well is to walk, creep, exit during normal prep, then exit and walk in full gear at the 5 minute call, independant of the formation size.

Try Eyetricks.com. There's a link to stereograms under 3D Images. I have never before been able to see the embedded image in a stereogram! I'd just stare at the picture while all my friends were talking about the cool effect they'd see. It takes me the better part of a minute of conscious de-focusing to 'get it', even if I already know what and where the embedded image is.

This is a great idea for a thread! Missed it way back when. Reflecting on things I've done has kind of opened my eyes; it's so easy to get focused on where you want to go and miss out on all that you've done. There is much we can learn from seeing the progression of others. I hope mine motivates someone to chase their dream, downsize safely, or perhaps just reflect upon their own progression. I thoroughly enjoyed going over my logbooks and re-living these experiences through my comments. It's a shame I quit logging more than raw jump data after the first few hundred jumps. Rereading my impressions of my earlier jumps was entertaining. I played loose with the first post date; I registered early and lurked for years, so I used my registration date as the marker. The short version: three world records, a state record, a national gold medal, several teams, scads of tunnel time, some cool bigway events, a host of new friends and acquaintences, and a much richer life just because I jump! The long version: I did this offline for my own edification, and thought maybe someone else would be interested. I know I'd love to see something similar from others - you don't just show up and do a world record, become a tandem instructor, or win a local or national swoop meet. key: firsts / bigway (records) / teams (medals) 03-01-00 72 registered with dropzone.com 03-25-00 100 nekkid; first and only 05-27-00 135 first high-altitude load 07-14-00 168 first formation load 38-way 07-15-00 177 first night jump; NSCR 2327 & SCS 8051 11-11-00 257 first team; 4way/Millenium Odyssey, coach: Gary Beyer 01-13-01 298 first jump at another dz 03-29-01 353 tunnelcamp 1 07-15-01 461 tunnelcamp 2 10-21-01 536 nationals; "Just in Time" 4-way advanced, 8.9avg, 16th 11-04-01 565 tunnelcamp 3 12-05-01 640 second team; 8way/Arizona Evolution coach: Alan Metni 03-07-02 716 tunnelcamp 4; with my 10yo son, Tim 04-14-02 796 tunnelcamp 5; with 8way team; invited to 300-way 06-14-02 918 Texas state record 120-ways (no joy) 07-18-02 1012 tunnelcamp 6 08-27-02 1104 Jack Jeffries bigway invitational 09-04-02 1135 nationals; "Arizona Evolution" 8-way open, 7.4avg, 7th 10-25-02 1196 Dan BC bigway practice 11-02-02 1214 Airspeed 4way ultimate skills camp 11-16-02 1290 third team; 4way/Spaceland Inferno; coach: Neal Houston/Joey Jones 12-12-02 1334 world record: 300-way 05-22-03 1528 az challenge; 84-way in-out 06-12-03 1562 tunnelcamp 7; again with son, Tim (now 12yo) 07-12-03 1596 first cutaway 08-17-03 1683 Texas state record 125-ways; new TSR 10-17-03 1770 nationals; "Spaceland Inferno" 4-way adv, 14.7avg, Gold 10-28-03 1795 first post on dropzone.com 12-14-03 1809 fourth team; 4way/Dallas Thunder; coach: Neal, Mark, Gary 01-24-04 1855 world record: 672 mass jump 02-06-04 1877 world record: 357-way 05-27-04 1988 az challenge; 96-way hope diamonds 08-20-04 2168 Texas state record 145-ways (no joy) 10-02-04 2217 nationals; "Dallas Thunder" 4-way open, 14.0avg, 8th 11-07-04 2264 first Cessna jump 11-17-04 2265 kaleidoscope 120+ ways 11-22-04 2281 tried out for a certain team (no joy) Canopy progression / wing-loading: 11-20-99 25 1.0 griffon 190 / swift 210 09-16-00 231 1.1 sabre 170 / raven-m 181 06-15-01 436 1.3 sabre 150 08-24-01 489 1.4 sabre 135 / pd-143 09-23-01 513 1.4 stiletto 135 03-15-03 1411 1.6 stiletto 120 / pd-126 08-14-04 2166 1.8 stiletto 107 / pd-113 10-23-04 2250 canopy control course; coach: Brian Germain Goals 2005:find open class 4way team compete in World Cup (even as a guest) at least a couple 100+ way events learn to freefly, really, I mean it this time another canopy course coach rw team or two more load organizing do better recording memories in logbook Goals rest of decade:skydive with son continue improve 4way/8way improve freefly ability stay active bigway circuit 400-way Thailand (early 2006) strengthen team coaching skills organize / coordinate an event jump a Connie (beautiful aircraft), B-17, biplane, jet

I would love to go on a jump with my 13yo son, and he wants to go as well. If I knew of a DZ that 'committed' such an action, I'd give them my business. As it is, it looks like I'll have to make that jump outside of the US. I cannot wait to share my sport with my son. As far as allowing my son to skydive on his own, I'm not sure I'd let him at 16yo. I have had a mal with a hard cutaway, and I'd need to be certain he is both strong and mature enough to handle a compounded emergency. It has nothing to do with regulations; it's all about capability.